Lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD or acid, was created in 1938 by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann. It's since become a linchpin for an entire aesthetic, fueled a counterculture movement, and is being studied for potential therapeutic uses beyond its reputation as a recreational drug.
Hofmann had been studying ergot, a parasitic fungus that grows on grasses and grains, including rye and barley, and can cause headaches, hallucinations, and gangrene—a condition where lack of blood flow leads to tissue death or rot.
His research bloomed 25 different chemical compounds, the last of which he tested on himself in 1943, just before a bike ride home.
What does it do?
This semi-synthetic psychoactive substance derived from ergot can cause users to experience perception distortions and hallucinations resembling synesthesia, a neurological occurrence or trait that can cause senses to overlap, giving color to numbers and flavors to names.
The LSD molecule binds to serotonin receptors in the brain, found in spades in regions of the brain associated with learning. It's believed that this receptor binding is key to the iconic hallucinations experienced on the drug.
LSD also binds to other receptors, including those for dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with motivation, mood, and reward. The exact impact of these transmitter bindings on users' experiences of LSD is unclear; science is still learning exactly how LSD traipses around the body.
LSD "trips" can last up to 15 or so hours, even at low microgram dosages, despite the chemical clearing from the body at a faster rate. The length of these experiences may be due to the serotonin receptor, which forms a "lid" over the bonding site, slowing LSD's ability to leave the receptor.
Medicine
LSD is currently classified in the US by the Drug Enforcement Agency as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, meaning it has no accepted medical use and a high potential for user abuse.
High doses of LSD can cause adverse effects, including increased heart rate, headaches, exhaustion, and nausea. The iconic hallucinations experienced on the drug, influenced by variables such as environment and mindset, can go south, letting users descend into bad trips that can trigger psychosis and paranoia.
Ongoing research into the therapeutic potential of the odorless and colorless drug shows that it may help users dealing with symptoms of substance abuse, anxiety, and depression.
LSD is also being used as a jumping-off point for the development of new antidepressants. Many antidepressants work by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. This is reflective of LSD's ability to provide a fraction of the response triggered by serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates and assists with mood regulation, social behavior, sleep, and more.
Lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD or acid, was created in 1938 by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann. It's since become a linchpin for an entire aesthetic, fueled a counterculture movement, and is being studied for potential therapeutic uses. Dive into the world of LSD with 1440.
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Lysergic acid diethylamide, often shortened to LSD, comes from ergot, a parasitic fungus that can be found in grains. Chemists rearrange the fungus' chemical structure or the structure of an ergot derivative through complex chemical reactions, transforming it into the hallucinogenic bicycle-shaped LSD crystal. Due to the partially synthetic drug's criminalization, many of the details of modern LSD crafting honed by "underground chemists" are kept secret.
During the summer of 1951, the French town of Pont-Saint-Esprit appeared to go mad. Hundreds were treated for hallucinations and delirium, and about 60 were institutionalized, with some reporting ongoing hallucinations a month after the LSD-like symptoms appeared. While debated, some historians and scientists argue the illness may have been ergotism, a perilous condition better known in the Middle Ages as "burning disease" and "St. Andrew's Fire."
Animal studies involving microdoses of psilocybin, the psychoactive component in magic mushrooms and ketamine, found it helped to alleviate anxiety and inflammation, an immune response that can cause damage when chronically active. Human studies are ongoing. In at least one double-blind study, where researchers and patients don't know who got a placebo versus the real thing, about half of the participants incorrectly guessed they had been given placebos.
In the US, LSD fueled a counterculture that believed the drug and its ensuing psychedelic insights could make the world a better place. Authorities were quick to claim LSD had lasting adverse effects, criminalizing the drug and halting scientific study for decades. This 13-minute video overviews how LSD's reputation shifted from a potential source of enlightenment to a dangerous drug that could dim a person's future to a possible therapeutic device.
As "Brave New World" author Aldous Huxley lay dying of cancer in 1963, he asked his wife Laura to dose him with the hallucinogen LSD. A month later, Laura Huxley wrote a letter detailing the author's final trip, which she notes ended "so slowly, so gently, like a piece of music just finishing in a sempre piu piano dolcemente." Read the letter here.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have a playlist to accompany psilocybin users on their psychedelic journeys. Dating back to 1967, the playlist is over seven hours long and organized in such a manner as to echo users’ experiences as their trips rise, crest, and fall. According to the initial creator of the playlist, the music is a “nonverbal support system” that keeps users from prematurely returning to normal consciousness.
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In 1970, Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter while pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the 174th no-hitter in MLB history, but the only one where the pitcher claimed to be high on LSD at the time. This animated video uses Ellis’ own comments from a 2008 NPR interview where he described why he took LSD that morning and the difficulty of pitching while tripping.
As "Brave New World" author Aldous Huxley lay dying of cancer in 1963, he asked his wife Laura to dose him with the hallucinogen LSD. A month later, Laura Huxley wrote a letter detailing the author's final trip, which she notes ended "so slowly, so gently, like a piece of music just finishing in a sempre piu piano dolcemente." Read the letter here.
LSD and psilocybin have shown promise as antidepressants. Using a virtual library of similar chemical compounds, researchers determined via animal studies that two molecules inspired by LSD have antidepressant effects without any associated hallucinogenic experience. These molecules were found to be 40 times more potent than the common antidepressant fluoxetine, also known as Prozac, with antidepressant effects lasting up to 21 days.
Researchers have determined that LSD, taken in a medical setting, decreases anxiety related to "life-threatening disease," reduces brain reactivity to fearful faces, increases the meaning and emotional response derived from music, and more. No complications of LSD administration have been observed in medical settings, though acute adverse effects, including exhaustion, nausea, and difficulty concentrating, have been recorded up to 24 hours after administration.
The method of LSD consumption directly impacts how the body breaks down the drug and how quickly any effects set in. LSD is typically consumed orally. If taken as a liquid or "tab," then the drug will be primarily absorbed through the mucous membrane lining the mouth. If swallowed, such as in the case of a pill, LSD will mainly be absorbed through the small intestine.
Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly referred to as LSD or acid and not-so-commonly as C20H25N3O, is a colorless, odorless, and flavorless chemical compound that can induce altered perception, mood, and cognition. One of its roles in the brain is as a serotonin agonist, meaning it enters serotonin receptors and triggers a fraction of the response the neurotransmitter would typically warrant. Many serotonin agonists are used to treat depression and migraine.
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